Die Another Day
by Thomas Maro
Summary: A strange and dangerous being is taken under Dumbledore's protection. What happens when Severus is charged with guarding it? Chaos, madness, and in the end, perhaps even love. RLNT, HR, HG, and SSOC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who has clicked on this story! Yay! I like clicks! Most of this is written during my typing class, becuase my teacher is a moron. Oh well.I'm trying very, very hard to not make Calliope a Mary-Sue, so do warn me if she is getting close... and Review? Please? Everyone who reviews gets a birthday song in Russian and a cookie and mentioned in the A/Ns, and if you leave a believable name I may mention it in the story itself... So please clicky that button. I don't even care if you are doing it to just flame me.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything except Calliope, and she even insists that I don't own her either. The plot is a spin off of the many plots that I have seen (I think it started as a challenge). Anyway, I don't even claim that, I just always liked the idea of it.

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"This is a club, Professor Snape!" A petulant Hermione yelled over the thumps of the base. This earned her the usual sneer from the greasy potions professor.

"I may be old; Ms. Weasley, but I have not completely lost my senses yet." He said with his eyes on the runway as the lights all flicked off. String music blared through the speakers as a tap dancer appeared on it, surrounded in flames.

She had brilliant black curls and a small, lithe body. The music blasted through the speakers as she walked down the runway, walls and columns of flames forming around her, seeming to be controlled merely by magic. The music was muggle, Madonna, from the sound of it. Hermione nodded. Yes, it was a Madonna song, one written for the new James Bond movie. "Die Another Day." How appropriate.

A magnified voice floated through the club as the entire stage burst into flames. Hermione felt the heat from them on her face, and she glanced at Snape, who watched the dancer dance in a way that would lead anyone to believe that the woman was a veela.

The music sped, and the dance morphed to a strange combination of gymnastics, ballet, and some type of martial arts. As the last bars of the song echoed through the club she walked to the edge of the stage, her mismatched eyes glaring slightly as Snape as she completely burst into flames, disappearing.

Hermione gasped as the club lights came on, but many people clapped and went back to gyrating against each other with reckless abandon, leaving her to think that perhaps her disappearance from the stage was a normal occurrence. Professor Snape gave a short snort, leading her to a table in the dark, sitting.

"Well, she knows we are here. I have no doubt that she will either disappear completely or come out and visit with us." He said confidently, nodding to a waitress that seemed to recognize him, and she bustled off to get him something.

"Disappear? But Dumbledore sent us to get her! She is to go into hiding, though I don't exactly realize why…any wizard could do what she did on stage…."

At this Snape gawked at her, before his looks faded into a simple sneer. "I had thought you would be more observant than your friend and husband, Ms. Weasley. What a pity that their lack of observational skills seems to be wearing off on you. Alright, if any wizard can do that, here is a candle. Make it form her shape." He said, pushing a candle to her. He watched as she puzzled over it, waving her wand over it for a few moments to no effect.

"I… I can't. Perhaps it is something special on the stage." She said, making an excuse. She knew it was pointless however. She had done her research on the club. Due to the muggle atmosphere, the owners had cast spells over the place so that no wizarding magic could be cast inside.

"Think, girl. She controlled fire with non-wizard magic. What could possibly do that?" He demanded.

Meanwhile a dark form had appeared next to him, listening to the entire conversation.

"I-I don't know, sir." She responded as the woman sat down next to her.

"Don't be so harsh, Severus. We both know that wizarding schooling has degenerated in the last few years. They are afraid if they teach the children anything, it will be used against them. The answer you are searching for, my dear girl, would be a fire sidhe."

Hermione gave a nod and made a knowing sound in her throat.

"Ahh… sidhe. But I thought that the kings called all of them back to their own dimension during the first war?" She asked.

The woman obviously took offense to this question. "I see even Dumbledore forgets the friends whose lives he has ruined." She said sharply, looking to Severus. "I gave up my home, my family, and my own kind to not even be remembered? To live in exile, all my friends forgetting I even existed? My sacrifice not even passed down to the children?" She asked, standing and tossing her chair away from the table.

Severus seemed to be taking the outburst rather calmly, sipping on a drink that the waitress had come back with.

"Oh calm down, you vain little thing. Obviously he didn't forget you or your service, or he would have let the Deatheaters kill you and not sent us to take you into hiding."

Hermione nodded. "Right… and since normal hiding spells don't work on fairies, he had to plan something that no one would even think twice about." She added, trying to buffer Dumbledore's good name.

The woman grabbed her fallen chair and sat in it again, obviously brooding. Hermione took another good look at her. On closer examination, it was a wonder that she hadn't recognized that the woman wasn't all human at least. Mismatched green and grey eyes glared at Severus, who matched her with a dark, obsidian stare. She was handsome, but not exactly pretty. She had proud features, each looking like it had been chiseled from white marble. The lines of her face were smooth and graceful. Her nose was straight and long, and her lips fairly wide, red with rouge. Her high cheekbones and set jaw lent to give her face a rectangular look…. But it wasn't ugly. Just handsome. Her frame was small, barely reaching five feet, and she was thin, with the lean build of a cat made for the hunt.

"Calliope, we should leave now." Severus said, his eyes looking to the doorway. The woman matched his gaze, nodding.

"Yes… Let's go." She stood, taking Severus' offered arm and giving Hermione a hand. "You need to be in contact with so that I can get us out of here." Hermione nodded and took Calliope's hand, closing her eyes as she felt like she was being pulled in every direction. She shivered as her form righted itself.

It had worked. They were at the Headquarters of the Order of the Pheonix.


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N) Well, here is another chapter for you all... if there is a you all. Chapter 3 will also be up soon, as it is already firmly planted in my head. Review and let me know someone is out there?

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Calliope frowned at the direction of the building, shaking her head of the bad memories of the place. Severus seemed to remember that she could see through the Order's defenses, as he didn't move to tell her the 'secret' so that she could find the place. With a frown she looked at the girl Hermione. She was much too young to be married, in Calliope's opinion. With a shake of her curly head she took a step toward the building, eager to be inside and out of the thick air that smelled of rain.

Severus followed her, matching her long strides with his own short ones, and Hermione joined her at her other side, both flanking her as if she was going to take flight at any moment.

'_Pfft,_' she thought '_not likely.'_ Calliope was not a selfish woman, but she watched out for herself first most of the time, and she knew that if the Deatheaters wanted to use her, they would. She stopped at the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open, trying to suppress the wave of old memories of the place and nausea from the smell of mold.

She stepped in quickly, letting Hermione through as she rushed off to hug some redheaded boy who was a good foot and a half taller than Calliope. She raised an eyebrow as the boy dipped her, and they began to slobber over each other and eat each other's faces. Beside her, Severus let out a snort, obviously in disgust at the display before him as he took Calliope's hand and pulled her past them and into a dark study with a large table in the middle. At the head of the table stood Dumbledore, who paced slightly as he tapped his lip.

Calliope leaned against the doorway, glaring slight at the figure. Dumbledore, her old friend, had begged her to leave her home, to join their war effort. She had, of course, to help out her dear friend. And in the end she had lost her pride, self-respect, heart, and home.

"Well, if it isn't Merlin at the right hand of his young king." She said, looking to the dark haired boy at his side. "Or perhaps that isn't a king at all… merely a hobbit. And you would be Gandalf, getting ready to send us on a grand adventure where we all may not return." She sneered from her place at the door, mismatched eyes peering out at him. Dumbledore turned to him, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

"And who is it at the door? Tinkerbelle? The Tooth Fairy? Or the little Green Fairy?" Calliope ran at the table in a mad dash, attempting to strangle the old wizard that had just insulted her. Strong arms grabbed her around her waste, holding her close and pinning her arms at the side.

"Calm down Calliope." Severus whispered in her ear. Begrudgingly, she did, glaring at Dumbledore.

"You are lucky I don't catch your beard on fire. I'd bet it go up fairly well." Dumbledore merely smiled at her again.

"Well, I could use the hair cut."

"Or burn out your tongue so that you can't eat so many sweets."

"My mediwitch has been telling me I need to stop." He said with a chuckle, before growing serious.

"You know, if you hadn't gone into hiding we could have helped you." She snorted at that, breaking free from Severus's hold and sitting in a chair, her feet propped up on the table.

"Oh yes. Helped me. A girlfriend of the right hand of Voldemort. Deatheater whore. Not even human scum." She said, glaring at him. "Just because I was abroad doesn't mean I didn't get the papers."

"Where did you go?" He said, mildly interested.

"France, Russia, Spain, Germany, and Ukraine, before Sirius was declared innocent and I came back. I had hoped I wouldn't run into you." She said, not even attempting to hide the acid in her voice.

"Well, my darling little Calliope, you are here now, and in great danger. You would be a very powerful tool in the hands of the Deatheaters, and we both now your little secret, so you need to be protected."

She continued to glare at him, but did not respond with any sharp retort. The Headmaster took this as a sign he should continue.

"We can hide you so that no person in this world would possibly recognize you for who you are. You would be under constant protection, and best of all, it will feel like it has only been moments." Her mouth twitched at that, and she tilted her head to the side. She innately trusted Dumbledore, beyond her good judgment, and she shook her head with a frown. She didn't even want to ask how he planned on doing all this… that was his job.

"Fine. When can we do it?" She asked, which caused Dumbledore to give her a wide smile.

"Right now, my dear. Severus, if you wouldn't mind…" He asked, and Severus nodded, taking his leave. Dumbledore nodded to Harry, who also left, leaving just Dumbledore and Calliope.

"Well isn't this cozy." She drawled lazily, not moving from her seat. Dumbledore nodded at her, his blue eyes without their twinkle as he withdrew a lime green bottle from his pocket, stopped with a cork (she recognized with indifference) as one that came from a bottle of wine served at her naming. Dumbledore caught her glance, smiling softly.

"An excellent year, was it not?" He commented, pushing the bottle to her. She picked it up and popped the cork off, the concoction smelling like sour summer apples.

"I wouldn't know, I was only four. You said this will work on me?" She said, lifting the bottle in indication. He gave a nod.

"Of course. Severus brewed it himself, and once combined with the spell, it will all be done." He said lightly, and she gave him a cynical smile, raising the glass in a toast to his health, and throwing the bottle back, downing it in a gulp.

Dumbledore didn't waste a second, and pointed his wand at her, saying some spell that she didn't quite catch as her mind faded into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Here we are, Chapter three! Thank you for the review! Yay-ness! This chapter is for you, hotredhead!

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A screaming met Severus's ears as he walked into the order house, about three days after he had escorted Calliope there. He sighed with a shake of his head. He hated Sirius with a passion, and Calliope was just another log on the fire of his passion. Sirius had toyed around with many a girl and he had not minded… but the seemingly delicate fairy warrior should not have been some woman he liked playing house with as he went out on his many conquests with half of the wizarding population. No, one did not play house with someone like her. She was a rare jewel to be studied. Not that he didn't mind the new attitude adjustment that had taken place in Sirius's absence… her wide-eyed fighter for the side of good had made her a bit of a bore sometimes… But the new Calliope, the enchanting, dark, and mysterious woman he had met once in Ukraine and then again in the club was a black emerald amongst a bunch of rocks. 

He growled as his thoughts were once again interrupted by screaming from the war room. Everyone seemed to be milling around as the screams stopped, Molly looking almost teary-eyed at the door to the war-planning room. Severus looked to her, raising an eyebrow.

"What in the world is making all that racket? Another one of the twins' experiments?" He asked, looking to Molly, who shook her head.

"No Professor Snape… that would be your science experiment." She responded, pulling some cotton from her ears. "Calliope has lodged herself on top of the china cabinet and has been screaming for someone named Tryca for the last two days… She's stopped for the night, I think. She usually does."

Severus stared at the woman like she had an extra-head. Calliope was on top of the china cabinet? Screaming a woman's name? His _science experiment_? He frowned before he went into the planning room.

"Professor, don't do that! You'll catch fire! Charlie has already been scorched by her!"

Severus ignored the warning and walked in, closing the door. The china cabinet in question was sitting in a dark corner of the room, a very strategic spot if someone was trying to keep watch on the rest of the room. He silently applauded Calliope's instincts as he slowly made his way to the cabinet, levitating himself up with a silent mutter of a spell.

What he saw nearly made his eyes pop out of his head. There in the corner, covered in dust and grime was a small girl, about the age of three. Mismatched eyes peered at him, and a small sound came from the back of her throat. He pocketed his wand and lifted his hands, showing her that they were empty.

"I will not hurt you, Calliope." He said softly, trying to soothe the girl. She took a moment and moved forward a little bit, her grey-green eyes watching him.

"Not even a little bit?" She asked softly, with a small lisp that came from being a child, he supposed.

"Not even a little bit. Will you come out with me? I can get you food and some clothes." He promised matter-of-factly, almost feeling a spark of protectiveness over the small girl. Dumbledore had asked him to make an aging potion a few weeks before, and he had thought nothing of it, giving it to him with a silent nod. Dumbledore must have found some spell to make her mind one of a small child as well.

"Will you make the red people leave me alone?" She asked, looking at him, as if debating on whether or not to leave the quiet of her hiding space.

Immediately Severus realized what must have spooked the child. All the Weasleys were here for Ron and Hermione's nuptials. Having the whole group, at least twelve people, crowd a small child who had no clue where she was…

He was surprised and mildly disappointed they all hadn't been burned to a crisp. Charlie's hair must have been either a warning or a misfire.

"Yes, but you must stay with me." He said with finality. He made this, he was going to take care of it. Calliope crawled to him, climbing into his arms and clinging to him tightly. Severus frowned and moved her weight to his hip, walking out into the main room.

"Would you like food or clean clothes first?" He asked, looking down at her. She thought for a moment.

"A bath… then clothes…then food. I feel yucky." He chuckled slightly, looking around.

"Well, we must find a bath, and then a lady can give you one."

"Will she be nice?" She asked, looking to him.

"Yes, I promise… can she be one of the redhead ladies?" He asked, causing the small child in his arms a moment's pause. He looked down at her, wondering what in the world she was wearing. It was a white dress that seemed to poof out into a confection of lace, and the thing was tied off with a pink ribbon. He made a small sound of disgust, hoping it wasn't her _choice_ to wear this.

"Okay… but only one. And you have to promise she will be nice, and talk slow." Severus chuckled. Apparently he wasn't the only one that disliked the family's loud chattering ways.

"I promise." He said, motioning Ginny out of the kitchen, and she was all too happy to escape her mother's talk of the birds and the bees. She must have assumed that Ginny was the next one to be married, and would be sometime soon.

"I see you managed to get her out, Professor." She said, nodding to Calliope, shaking her head at the dress.

"Hermione's idea to transfigure her robes into that." She said, shaking her head. "Did you need something?" Severus let out a sigh if relief that it wasn't Calliope's decision to wear the…thing.

"Yes…she needs a bath, and new clothes…" He said, motioning to the small girl in his lap.

Ginny smiled. "Just hand her over to me, Professor, and I will handle it." Severus nodded to the young girl, the only one with some sense in the house now, and handed over Calliope.

Calliope looked started for a moment, staring at Snape, who nodded. "You'll be fine." He said, and she relaxed as Ginny took her to the large bathroom, silently tapping the door with her wand to lock it.

Severus sighed a bit, looking down the hallway. What was Dumbledore thinking?


End file.
